Prevention Does Work!

Created by: Jillian

The Guttmacher Institute has released a report indicating that the number of abortions worldwide fell from 45.5 million in 1995 to 41.6 million in 2003 — the latest year for which global figures were available.

A key reason for that drop, the new report said, was that the portion of married women using contraception increased from 54 percent in 1990 to 63 percent in 2003 as availability increased and social mores changed. The report also notes that abortions worldwide are declining even as more countries liberalize their abortion laws.

Unfortunately, the report also notes that deaths from unsafe/illegal abortions kill 70,000 women annually. The survey concluded that abortion occurs at roughly equal rates in countries where it is legal and where it is highly restricted. The key difference, according to the report, is the high rate of deaths and medical complications from unsafe clandestine abortions in the restrictive countries.

This report is extremely important because it reminds us that placing restrictions on abortion doesn't stop women from seeking abortion, it only causes them to seek dangerous and unsafe care.

What reduces abortion is a reduction in unintended pregnancies and we can reduce unintended pregnancies by providing women with the preventive care they need--contraception!